Aeroflot’s return flight flew from New York to Moscow, with dozens of Russian citizens on board who wanted to return home. According to TASS, the flight took place in the early morning of Wednesday, April 8, from John F. Kennedy Airport.
The flight SU103 should arrive in Moscow Sheremetyevo, with an approximate landing time of 15:10 Moscow time.
The exact number of Russians returning on this plane is not reported, but several dozen are registered for the flight. It is noted that while the plane from New York flies to Moscow, on American soil, a plane landed from the Russian capital, exporting Americans.
About fifty Russian citizens were never able to fly to Moscow with an Aeroflot flight. However, they will be temporarily provided with housing for the organization of compatriots, said Igor Kochan, president of the Russian Youth of America Society.
Last week, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said that there are about 2 thousand Russians on American territory who have expressed a desire to return to their homeland.
New York is the largest outbreak of a new type of coronavirus epidemic in the country. The state revealed more than 139 thousand cases of infection, more than 5.4 thousand New Yorkers died from COVID-19.
On the eve of the Ministry of Transport of Russia called the condition for the export of Russians to their homeland. Only those Russians who left the country after January 1, 2020 can apply for export flights to Russia. According to the latest data, about 25.8 thousand citizens of the country intend to return to Russia.
If a citizen who wants to return home has a ticket from a foreign airline, he will have to pay extra € 200-400 for the flight. With a Russian airline ticket, transportation will be free.
Recall that on April 4, Russia temporarily stopped performing international flights to return to the homeland of Russians who are in foreign countries, against the backdrop of a new type of coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the Russian government approved a procedure for helping Russians who are abroad and cannot return to their homeland.
Assistance will be provided to citizens who “have travel documents to return to the Russian Federation from March 16, 2020 to May 31, 2020.” The Russians will receive assistance during their stay in the territory of a foreign state. Residents of Russia who remain abroad will receive 2400 rubles per person per day. For a child under the age of 14 they will be given 1,600 rubles a day.
In late March, Maria Zakharova said that before the end of the month, the Foreign Ministry will draw up an accurate list of Russian citizens who need help with their return.
“Our embassies at appropriate points posted appropriate notifications for Russian citizens informing them of the cancellation of charter and regular flights and preparations for the implementation of so-called export flights,” she said.
Zakharova then emphasized that Russian diplomatic missions abroad work around the clock. “All their efforts at this stage are focused on resolving issues related to staying in the territory of other countries of Russian citizens who still cannot return to their homeland,” the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry summed up.
Only on March 28, 92 charter flights were planned in order to take out Russian citizens from abroad in connection with the active spread of coronavirus, the Federal Air Transport Agency reports.
At the same time, the Russian government allocated 1.5 billion rubles. from its reserve fund in order to compensate for the losses of airlines that export Russians from abroad in connection with the spread of coronavirus.
This money will be provided this year as subsidies for “reimbursement of expenses incurred in the implementation of export activities[россиян]from foreign countries ”with an unfavorable epidemiological situation.
Over the penultimate week of March, more than 130 thousand Russian citizens returned home, the Russian Foreign Ministry also reported. During the period from March 20 to April 2, 162,486 Russians returned to Russia.
On April 4, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova said that the coronavirus was brought into Russia from 73 countries, Italy, Spain and France became the leaders. Now most cases of infection are associated not with the “import” coronavirus, but with its transmission within the country.
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